Seeing Red 17

To what extent he’d been going on and on about everything he’d found on the internet yesterday, and, perhaps even more intriguingly, to what extent Hajime had been indulging him in that, Sano didn’t realize until the ghost gave a sudden stiffening or intensifying and seemed to shift its orbit somewhat in the direction of the parking lot and the playground. The usual heat-wave overtook him at this increased ghostly activity, all the greater because his internal anger had, to a certain extent, been pushed aside for the last couple of hours. Of course Hajime had been making rude interjections all along in order to draw it out, but Sano’s excited happiness had been dampening that outlet.

Now he experienced a second instance of the futility of trying to look around behind him and check both the time and the ghost all at once; but Hajime, who had eventually joined him on the bench, announced that it was 11:40 and Kaoru Himura had just gotten out of a car over in the parking lot.

“How do you know that’s her?” Now Sano too was looking over at the woman, who was distant enough that her features couldn’t be made out in detail.

“Don’t be stupid. She’s an Asian woman arriving near noon, looking around nervously, and getting a three-year-old out of her car.”

Since she hadn’t been doing either of the latter activities when Hajime had made his initial pronouncement, and since being Asian didn’t signify anything when nearly everyone here was, Sano said pointedly, “So you mean you guessed.”

“The man with her is her father.” Ignoring the accusation, Hajime continued to gaze thoughtfully across the grass. “At least she had the sense not to come alone, in case we do turn out to be psychopaths.”

“You’re still guessing.” Sano’s heart wasn’t in it this time, though, as his attention had been entirely caught by the little boy the presumed Kaoru Himura was doing something to the shoes of in preparation for turning him loose in the playground. Even from here the bright red of the kid’s hair drew the eye, in stark contrast to the mother’s black. What was it Aoshi had said about Kenshin? ‘Half Japanese, half American?’ It showed in his son. Sano snorted faintly. ‘American;’ what kind of description was that? He never would have inferred red hair from that.

The man Hajime had identified as Kaoru’s father, closing the passenger door of the car they’d come in, was talking to her now with some rapidity, even urgency. Hajime supplied, “He thinks this is a bad idea.”

With a skeptical glance at his companion, Sano wondered, “How can you get that from over here?”

“I can only get a very vague impression,” admitted Hajime, “but that’s more because of all the people around than the distance. But look at his body language.”

He had a point; the man pretty clearly wasn’t happy about the whole situation. Kaoru must have told him the purpose of this trip, and the ‘psychopaths’ scenario suggested a moment ago probably seemed the most likely to him. Apparently, however, having decided to do this, Kaoru was not going to be talked out of it, for she replied with an evident determination despite her body language that suggested she still wasn’t entirely sure about this course of action.

The little son was tugging at his grandfather’s hand, eager to get to the playground; meanwhile, Kaoru was gesturing quite clearly in the direction of Hajime and Sano over by the skate park, and the man was shaking his head. “She knows who we are,” Sano muttered. With the ghost twitching in the direction of its wife, tugging enthusiastically at Sano’s psychic hand, he thought he knew exactly how that grandfather felt.

“Your hair,” said Hajime in a tone of reminder, and got to his feet facing the distant party as if acknowledging a greeting. Presently, thinking vaguely mutinous thoughts (he liked his hair), Sano joined him standing. Eventually the three by the parking lot broke up; Kaoru Himura came in their direction, while her father and son moved off toward the playground.

With every step the woman took toward them, the force of the ghost’s straining against Sano’s hold grew perceptibly stronger, just as it had as they’d approached her apartment the day before yesterday. It felt like restraining a large, increasingly excited and determined dog, assuming it was a dog that couldn’t keep from rendering him more and more irate as minutes went by. He wondered what precisely would happen if he just let go.

As Mrs. Himura drew nearer, Sano tried to distract himself from the growing anger by studying her face and figure. She was fairly short, with black hair and blue eyes, and he couldn’t really work up much more of a mental description than that. ‘A beautiful Japanese woman,’ Aoshi had said, but Sano thought this had come more from the woman’s husband than the medium, because Kaoru, while not ugly or anything, definitely had a sort of girl-next-door look that Sano would not have described as ‘beautiful.’ And actually, that was interesting, because why– But she had reached them and, with the stiffest backbone Sano had ever seen, offered the following greeting:

“I haven’t decided that I don’t think you’re crazy, or that I’m not crazy for being here, but I’m giving you a chance.”

“Thank you,” Hajime nodded. “Of course we understand your reservations, and we appreciate you coming to talk to us at all.” He extended a hand. “I’m Hajime Saitou, an exorcist. And you’ve already heard from Sano.”

Sano hadn’t observed this particular professional act in Hajime before, probably because Sano himself was an abnormal sort of client, and he found the polite, slightly obsequious tone a little creepy. Kaoru, however, seemed somewhat reassured, for just a tiny bit of the tension left her shoulders and she shook Hajime’s hand before turning to Sano.

Although there was no physical movement involved in holding the ghost, still Sano felt as if he rendered his grip less secure by giving Kaoru his hand; but he also felt, first, that it would be counterproductive to start this conversation by being rude or unfriendly, and, second, that he didn’t want to be outdone by Hajime. “Good to meet you,” he said as he returned the woman’s firm handshake. Then, because that had already sounded a little angry, he added less darkly, “Glad you came.”

She heard the anger, and the subsequent enforced cheer did not prevent her from tensing up again. It wasn’t merely uncertainty about a weird meeting that showed in her bearing and visage; there was unhappiness and weariness there too… a weariness of long standing, and an unhappiness that had etched delicate lines around her eyes before this. It made Sano even angrier just seeing it; he couldn’t stand the thought that he was contributing to her pain. And this further increase in ire she noticed too, and stiffened even more.

Hajime stepped in. “Let’s have a seat and talk.”

As if reluctant not to keep wary eyes on the dangerous one at all times, her gaze left Sano sluggishly, followed Hajime’s gesture to the bench, then moved to the exorcist’s face. Without budging she asked, “You say my husband is here right now?”

For the answer Hajime glanced at Sano, who said, “Yeah, he’s…” Helplessly he indicated, knowing how it would look and sound. “He’s right here.” He tried very hard to speak calmly as he added, “I’m working hard holding him still, so we’ll let Hajime do most of the talking.”

Kaoru stared at what surely looked to her like a normal empty patch of air, her eyes directed at a point where she probably guessed the face would be, but which, with the height at which her husband was floating, was actually chest or stomach level — assuming this form of the ghost corresponded with his actual physical attributes (which would mean Kenshin was pretty short).

With an expression like a brittle surface that must eventually crack, she abruptly turned away from the ghost and sat down on the bench.

Hajime took the place beside her, though he did not look at her, and said, “I’m sorry to have to ask, but what can you tell us about your husband’s death?”

Sano, who hadn’t returned to the bench himself but stood, every bit as stiff as Kaoru, at its end looking down obliquely at her, now glanced at Hajime with a surprise that momentarily cut through his growing anger. No, Hajime’s tone wasn’t gentle or comforting — despite only having known him for a week, Sano already believed with assurance that the world might come to an end at any gentle or comforting tone from Hajime — but in the calm, low voice there was an audible (to Sano) desire not to wound or even disturb more than necessary… and this, from that source, seemed extraordinarily thoughtful.

Whether Kaoru recognized the unusual consideration, Sano could not tell. In any event, she took a deep breath and, staring down at the clenched hands she’d laid on her knees, began speaking very rapidly, as if she felt that if she didn’t get through her story quickly she wouldn’t be able to get through it at all.

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4 Replies to “Seeing Red 17”

Maybe it’s because this is only posted weekly, maybe it’s because I have phenomenally horrendous reading skills, but I didn’t know there was any heat activity associated with the ghost’s activity…was that mentioned somewhere before part 17 or is this something that people who lean towards magic-based interests take for granted?

Is Kenshin actually half in the original series?

Sano, who hadn’t returned to the bench himself but stood every bit as stiffly as Kaoru at its end looking down obliquely at her,

But if Sano is NOT sitting down and standing every bit AS STIFFLY AS KAORU, that would imply Kaoru is also standing, but she is sitting. Right? Soooo, I’d suggest putting in a “just as stiffly as Kaoru sat” to clarify Sano is up and Kaoru is down.

Ahhh, finally, we are about to find out what happened to short, happa Kenshin. I, too, wonder what would happen if Sano just let Kenshin go. Seems like, typically, the ghost would infect those around him with anger as they passed through, but Kenshin probably wants to do more than just pass through his widow. With the anger shade, though, I’m guessing there won’t be a Ghost moment where Sano blurts some magic endearment only Kenshin and Kaoru could possibly have known. Unless the part of Kenshin is being portrayed by Patrick Swayze…

We know next to nothing of Kenshin’s ethnicity in canon, but it’s highly unlikely that he’s anything but Japanese. About the same thing goes for all the RK characters (though we do meet a few parents here and there), regardless of any coloration that might be somewhat improbable for a fully Japanese person in the mid 1800’s. In an AUniverse such as this, I feel like I’m allowed to mix things up a little if I want, heh.

You have a good point about the standing/sitting stiffly thing. I shall look at it.

Ha ha, I have never actually seen one moment of that Patrick Swayze movie, though I see it referenced not infrequently. But, yes, we’ll have some answers in the next part of this story! Maybe.

Fujita Goro mode engage! I love the professional/polite part of Saito’s personality. :DDD But damn, for real…poor Kaoru. D: Again, I say that. But it’s good she decided to give these guys a chance to make their case.